Friday, June 24, 2011

Kelly Rutherford, Leonardio Dicaprio, and Amanda Hearst (and other celebrity taxi passengers)

Leonardo Dicaprio: I picked Leonardo Dicaprio in the Meatpacking District and took him back to his place at Battery Park. He owns a penthouse in the Riverhouse complex. I personally don't like Battery Park because its too barren of an area but whatever floats your boat. I have also picked up a few of his friends from the club 1Oak on 17th and 10th Avenue in Meatpacking. He's pretty often seen around town when he's not working.
Leonardo Dicaprio
Katerina Ivanoska: Just recently while I was cruising the Meatpacking District, I picked up Katerina Ivanovska from Macedonia, the model who is the face is Victorias Secret. I told her that I thought she looked familar and she looked tall and skinny like a model so I assumed. She sat up front with me while her Macedonian girlfriends sat in the back. They were not as tall as her but were just as hot. As is typical with most pretty girls she asked me if she could break the rules by smoking in the car. This time I was able to say no, since there were a lot of cops out tonight. We had a conversation a bit of smalltalk. I let her out at 17th and 10th Avenue at a restaurant called Cafeteria.

Katerina Ivanoska
Lenka Dayrit: I picked up Lenka Dayrit from a club in the Meatpacking District. She's a model that was featured on America's Next Top Model. She's from the Czech Republic. Her pants were sexy black leather.
Lenka Dayrit
Michele Kleier: I picked up Michele Kleier, head of Kleier Residential. That is a real estate firm that is featured on the TV show "Selling New York" on HGTV. I recognized her and heard her discussing real estate transactions this year in 2013. They mostly do properties on the UES.She explained that things have not slowed down this summer as they normally do in the summertime in NYC (since everyone leaves). The economy in NYC is improving at least for the wealthy.
Michele Kleier
Irving Kahn: I picked up Irving Khan on 3rd Avenue in midtown around rush hour. He was in a wheelchair. Irving Khan is the oldest living investment manager and one of the oldest living men out there. He is 108 years old. He started his investments career in 1929. I spoke mostly with his caregiver since he was in the back in a wheelchair. I dropped him off on a street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue which happens to be an area where many older wealthy types live.

System of A Down Band: I picked up the band, System of a Down on Park Avenue South late one night on a weeknight. They seemed interesting and gave off a West Coast vibe so I asked them what they were doing here in NYC. They told me they had a band and had just finished doing a show. The guy from the picture below on the left sat up front with me. They told me they wanted to go to a "Tappas" place open late nights, but for a second I thought they said Topless place not Tappas place. A girlfriend with them corrected me and said no Tappas, and if not some place open late on weeknights that serves food, considering it was 2:30am or so on a weeknight. We drove around and I recommended we go to some place in the West Village/Meatpacking area as that was just about the only part of town with restaurants open this late. The city was basically a ghost town at this point in the night. They asked me some basic questions about hoods in NYC, the usual tourist talk. We stopped at a popular place on 14th Street and 9th Avenue, but it closed. So instead we settled for a 24-hour a day pizza place further east on 14th Street.
System Of A Down
Kelly Rutherford: On Monday, June 20, 2011 it was a pleasure to pick up Kelly Rutherford from Gossip Girls and Melrose Place fame. I have had quite a few of celebrities in the taxi that I've been driving part-time for the past year, and as you can see for some reason, most of them are blonde bombshells. I did not recognize Kelly  but she looked familiar. I thought maybe I had picked her up before or met her at some type of social event. When I turned around to collect the money, she giggled at me. Then I asked her where I had seen her before, and she said that she works in television. She currently plays Lily van der Woodsen on Gossip Girls. I picked Kelly up on Madison Avenue with her son, Hermes and dropped her at another location on Madison Avenue.

Kelley Rutherford
Amanda Hearst: Another blonde bombshell who was my passenger is Amanda Hearst. Amanda is known for her work in modeling, being listed as one of Forbes Richest Billionaire Heiresses, and being the great grand-daughter of media mogul William Randolph Hearst. She is now "global ambassador" for Tommy Hilfiger. I picked her up at 77th and Madison. During the ride, her friend monopolized most of the conversation, so I could not have a very in depth conversation with her. However, I could not help but wonder getting to know this beautiful young lady at this level of society. I dropped her and her friend at an art gallery on 11th Avenue and 21st Street in the Meatpacking District.
Amanda Hearst
Elisabeth Moss: Yes, it seems as though my taxi cab is a magnet for these attractive blonde celebrities, but I assure that I do not drive around the city looking for them. I picked up Elisabeth Moss from Madmen in front of a bar on 46th Street and 9th Avenue late one night with her friend who works behind the scenes at AMC. Elisabeth Moss is an actress who plays the character Peggy Olson on the show Madmen. I dropped her off in the East Village and took her friend who works for the American Movie Channel to Brooklyn.
Elisabeth Moss
Lauren Santo Domingo: I've also had the pleasure of picking up Lauren Santo Domingo in my taxi. Which she entered the cab, she asked me if I was American, then she complained that she never got the American taxi drivers. Lauren is another well-known young heiress from the New York metro area. Her father founded Perrier. Her husband is Colombian billionaire Andres Santo Domingo. She works at Vogue as a contributing editor with Anna Wintour (aka the devil in The Devil Wears Prada). I picked her up from 20th and 6th Avenue and took her to meet her friend on Park Avenue and 65th Street.
Lauren Santo Domingo
Laure-Anne Baillon:  Not too long ago, I picked a young blonde model from France, her name is Laure Anne Baillon. She has a sweet French accent and has appeared in some well known print ads for labels such as Calvin Klein. She asked for my number! Here is her photo:
Laure-Anne Baillon
Kristin Thorne: Most recently, I was on the Upper West Side of Manhattan about 3AM and I saw a young lady looking for a taxi. When she got in, it appeared that she was dressed for work and I thought she may be headed to the aiport, but instead we drove to CBS headquarters on 57th Street.This prompted a conversation about her work, and it turns out that she's Kristin Thorne, reporter from the CBS local New York channel. I couldn't imagine waking up for work every morning at 3AM (very few people do).
Kristin Thorne
Rhylee Richards: This young lady I picked up 3rd Avenue and took her back to her hotel, the Park Central in midtown in the 50's on 7th Avenue. I knew she was a pro when I saw her, and we started to talk about her work during the ride. She tipped me very well. Her name is Rhylee Richards. She is a porn star. In a related story, Scarlett Johansson got her nude cell phone pics hacked. Can't wait to see those.
Rhylee Richards
Al Roker: A few months ago, I picked up Al Roker, the weatherman from NBC's Today show. He got in on 10th Avenue heading north. I asked him if he was an actor on TV because for some reason he looked familiar but I couldn't remember where I had seen him. He said "No" and that ended the conversation, LOL! The correct answer was actually, Yes. I dropped him on Lexington and 80th Street on the Upper East Side.
Al Roker
Bryant Gumbel: For some reason, in addition to blonde bombshells, my taxi tends to attract black male newscasters from NBC's Today show. I picked up Bryant Gumbel and his white wife on the Upper West Side and took them for a short ride to another location on the Upper West Side.
Bryant Gumbel
Jerry Seinfeld: Also a few months ago, I passed Jerry Seinfeld driving his Porsche south on the West Side Highway. We raced for a little while, pulling away from a stoplight near the World Trade Center construction site. Attached is a photo:

Jerry Seinfeld
Gabriel Byrne: And last but not list, Gabriel Byrne, an Irish actor who has been in "tons of films." I don't think he liked me, he left early...
Gabriel Byrne
A few new additions!!!

Justin Ross Lee: I picked him up from the club scene in the Meatpacking District. He's more of a local New York City celebrity and probably not widely known outside it. He's known for being a socialite :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Ross_Lee. Rumor has it that his parents founded Lee Jeans Company. After he got in, he had a lot to say. He didn't realize that I recognized him from New York Post/Facebook, etc! First he and his friend/girlfriend accused me of not being a real cab driver and I got the usually questions about being a white guy driving a cab in NYC etc. He seemed like a real smart guy. I drove him to 34th Street and 1st/2nd Ave.
Justin Ross Lee

Timothy Sykes, Hedge fund manager, penny stock trader: Tim Sykes got in from the club scene in Meat Packing as well. He's another guy who probably doesn't know I recognized him. Tim came out of the club with a special friend. We drove to Central Park South. Awesome trader and good teacher.

Timothy Sykes

Nikki Benz: I picked up Nikki Benz, a porn star from one of the clubs in Midtown, with her ex-boyfriend. She's also been in Penthouse. Not my thing, more of a West Coast thing, but too each her/his own. Here she is:
Nikki Benz
Richie Rich and Ross Higgins: I picked up Richie Rich known as a club kid, and his boyfriend and/or ex-boyofriend Ross Higgins both fashion designer types from the club scene in meat-packing about 3:30 AM one night. They were telling me about a reality TV show they were filming about fashion. Both very androgynous looking men. Dropped them off in the East Village, 2nd Ave and 6th Street or something like that.
Ross Higgins
Richie Rich and Ross Higgins: I picked up Richie Rich known as a club kid, and his boyfriend and/or ex-boyofriend Ross Higgins both fashion designer types from the club scene in meat-packing about 3:30 AM one night. They were telling me about a reality TV show they were filming about fashion. Both very androgynous looking men. Dropped them off in the East Village, 2nd Ave and 6th Street or something like that.
Chris Wragge
Chris Wragge: I picked up Chris Wragge, a news anchor from the CBS news headquarters on about 57th and took him upto the UWS. When I saw him I knew he was on air talent. He was a very professional acting taxi passenger. I drove him home, he paid, then went on his way, that was it.